The Ridgeway

Nick Hill lives in Devizes, close to the Ridgeway. As well as writing walking guides he’s Traiblazer’s cartographer and has drawn many of the maps published in our guides.

INTRODUCTION About the Ridgeway History 10 - How difficult is the Ridgeway? 12 - How long do you need? 13 - When to go 14 PART 1: PLANNING YOUR WALK Practical information for the walker Route finding 17 Accommodation 18 Food and drink 21 Money 24 - Information for foreign visitors 24 Walking companies and luggage transfer 26 Disabled access 27 Mountain-biking 28 Horse riders 28 Motor vehicles 28 Walking with a dog 29 Budgeting 29 Itineraries Which direction? 30 Suggested itineraries 31 The best day & two-day walks 31 Town & village facilities table 33 (eastbound) &35 (westbound) Side trips 36 What to take Keep your luggage light 38 How to carry it 38 Footwear 38 Clothes 39 Toiletries 40 First-aid kit 40 General items 40 Camping gear 41 Money 41 Maps 41 Recommended reading 43 Sources of further information 43 Getting to and from the Ridgeway Getting to Britain 44 National transport 45 Public transport map 48 Local bus services 50 Local transport 51 PART 2: MINIMUM IMPACT WALKING & OUTDOOR SAFETY Minimum impact walking Economic impact 53 Environmental impact 53 Access 56 Countryside code 56 Outdoor safety Avoidance of hazards 58 Weather forecasts 59 Health 59 PART 3: THE ENVIRONMENT & NATURE Conservation of the Ridgeway Natural England 61 Ridgeway Partnership 62 Campaigning & conservation organisations 63 Flora and fauna Flowers 64 Butterflies 65 Trees 66 Mammals 67 Birds 69 PART 4: MARLBOROUGH TO AVEBURY Marlborough 73 - Marlborough to Avebury walk 77 Avebury and around Avebury 85 West Overton 87 Avebury stone circle 88 West Kennett & East Kennett 90 A walk around Avebury 90 Getting to and from Overton Hill 93 PART 5: ROUTE GUIDE AND MAPS Using this guide 95 Overton Hill to Foxhill 97 (Ogbourne St George 105,Liddington 108) Foxhill to Overton Hill 111 Foxhill to Court Hill (& Wantage) 111 (Bishopstone 113 Ashbury 114 - Woolstone 115 - Uffington 119 - Sparsholt Firs 122 - Sparsholt 122 - Letcombe Regis 123) (Wantage &) Court Hill to Foxhill 125 (Wantage 126) (Wantage &) Court Hill to Goring 129 (East Ilsley 132 Compton 133 - Aldworth 137 - Streatley 139) Goring to Court Hill (& Wantage) 140 (Goring 141) Goring to Watlington 143 (South Stoke 144 - North Stoke 146 Wallingford 147 - Crowmarsh Gifford 151 - Nuffield 157) Watlington to Goring 158 (Watlington 160) Watlington to Princes Risborough 161 (Lewknor 162 - Aston Rowant 163 - Chinnor 165) Princes Risborough to Watlington 160 (Princes Risborough 170) Princes Risborough to Wigginton (& Tring) 173 (Wendover 176) Wigginton (& Tring) to Princes Risborough 183(Wigginton 184 - Tring 184) (Tring &) Wigginton to Ivinghoe Beacon 188 (Aldbury 190) Ivinghoe Beacon to Wigginton (& Tring) 194 (Aldbury 190 - Ivinghoe 195 - Pitstone 195) APPENDICES A: Walking with a dog 196 B: The Greater Ridgeway 198 C: Map key 199 D: GPS waypoints 200 INDEX 203 OVERVIEW MAPS & PROFILES 209